If the Trail Blazers could skip that pesky third quarter they would have only lost to the Oklahoma City by two on Friday night. And they would have rolled over the Phoenix Suns by 20.
But, well, the current NBA rules demand that the Blazers participate in third quarters. And that meant a back-to-back losses over the weekend on the back of 12 horrendous minutes coming out of halftime.
Against the Thunder, they started strong, rallying back from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter to tie the game by halftime. However, the third quarter saw them unravel completely. The Thunder’s small lineup, spearheaded by Lou Dort’s aggressive defense, left the Blazers floundering. They turned the ball over 12 times, and the Thunder capitalized, outscoring them 36-13. By the end of the third, the game was effectively over.
The pattern repeated itself against the Suns. Despite a lackluster first half from both teams, the Blazers managed to take a lead into halftime. But once again, the third quarter proved disastrous. The Suns found their shooting touch, with Bradley Beal, Devin Booker Kevin Durant leading a 44-18 third quarter surge. The Blazers’ defense couldn’t keep up, and despite a spirited fourth-quarter effort, the damage was done. Portland had a chance in the final seconds to take the lead, but Dalano Banton just missed a three-pointer and the furious rally came up short.
The rally was great. The necessity of the rally is the problem?
So, what’s going wrong in the third quarter? A combination of factors is at play. First, there’s the issue of adjustments—or the lack thereof. Against the Thunder the Blazers didn’t match the OKC small ball attack and tried to force feed Deandre Ayton with no actual advantage inside. The Suns loss was more about talent. The Blazers don’t have the firepower to out score the top offenses in the league. Staying in striking distance in the third quarter would’ve allowed their impressive fourth quarter to have a much larger window to pull out a win.
The third quarter was a problem over the weekend, but it’s been an issue all year. A stat courtesy of Trail Blazers broadcasting illustrates their season long challenge. Portland has outscored opponents by 20 points across first, second and fourth quarters this season.
In third quarters? They’re a minus-77. In seven third quarters to begin the season, they’ve been outscored by 77 points.
Yikes.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Trail Blazers’ weekend games, tune into the Locked On Blazers podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Blazers Podcast:
- Detailed analysis of the Blazers’ third-quarter struggles
- Delano Banton’s impact and potential role in the team
- The Blame Game vs The Snuggie of Nuance
Catch all this and more on the Locked On Blazers podcast!
